International award-winning journalist, author, poet and essayist. Surprisingly bohemian. The future lies in the Third World, a dystopia created by the First World. Profile photo was shot on a windy day in Juarez, Mexico, with FBI agents excavating clandestine graves of drug cartel victims.The most amazing things happen here. Also at Facebook.com/thedigiezone

Thursday, March 23, 2017

I met an
interesting resident of El Paso, Texas, who wanted to share her experiences
with me about alleged unidentified flying objects and alien abduction. After
hearing some preliminary details about her encounters of the third kind dating
back to childhood, I hesitated.

I’ve personally
never seen any evidence of the existence of aliens from outer space. I’ve read
plenty of articles and books, and like countless others, viewed numerous
documentaries and movies about the phenomenon.

One of my
favorite Hollywood movies centered on the topic is “Encounters of the Third
Kind,” a 1977 release starring Richard Dreyfuss. The scene with him and the mashed
potatoes is hilarious. I’m also a huge fan of “The X-Files” movies and
television series with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, a made for TV match
if there ever was one.

My
reluctance to meet with this woman did not stem from my desire to scoff at
these things. Friends and I have kicked around the UFO question for years. Are
they real? What would we do if we encountered something strange like this? Why
do so many people believe in what they claim to have experienced.

As a journalist, I was reluctant to tread into
something that would ultimately harm my professional reputation. Of course, it
would not be the first time I was tempted to take a risk that might hurt in the
end. It would be like writing about ghosts and things of that nature.

But even
that was not the reason for my not wanting to meet with this woman. She was
thoroughly convinced about what supposedly had happened to her in South El Paso
over the course of several years. Her earliest recollection of allegedly being
abducted by aliens and medically observed for this dated back to her childhood.
She also believed the aliens had inserted an implant in her body to keep track
of her. And, she had witnesses – other children – from the old neighborhood
that “saw” her taken away.

She was
active in the Mutual UFO Network MUFON, and spoke at forums and conferences
about her experiences, and was supportive of others with similar claims.

Finally, I
set a date to hear her out in greater detail. I grew more nervous as the day
approached. I discussed my qualms about this with friends.

When we met,
she showed me her album containing a feature news article about her experiences,
which I believe the former El Paso Herald-Post had published. She also had
drawings in which she described the beings that took her by force, along with
the craft. Her story was typical of what other “abductees” have related,
including medical-like procedures on her body. She also claimed that the aliens
communicated telepathically.

At some
point, she said, after rumors regarding the UFO’s began swirling through the
neighborhood, the military sent doctors to examine her and the other children
that alleged the alien encounters. The visitations in the low-income
neighborhood had occurred decades ago. My source said that in the end, the
doctors scolded the children and asked their families to stop spreading the UFO
rumors.

The source said
she was convinced about what happened to her, and I was convinced that she was convinced.
I tried not to judge her but I couldn’t validate her story objectively. But,
that wasn’t why I hesitated to meet with her in the first place. I’ve been in
many scary situations and meetings which posed potential safety threats.

I’d met
sources, including corrupt Mexican cops, after midnight in Juarez, Mexico,
during my research into the drug cartels and other matters. Etc. This was
different though. What if on the off chance this was real? The truth is that in
my mind, on the possibility that her story was real, by associating with her, I
could become a target for the aliens or government operatives or whatever they
are, and maybe later begin to experience the bright lights and rattling at home that some have reported; or, maybe get whisked away along with her by a flying saucer. The fear, the
trepidation, over this was real: it is the fear of the unknown. I could deal with
the known far more easily. This was much harder to process.

I can report now that after listening to her fascinating story, nothing happened. No little grey
men showed up in my life, and the source went on with her life and I went on with
mine.

(In the next
installment on the same subject I will share another interesting experience
that took place in the newsroom.)

Diana writes

International award-winning journalist, author, poet and essayist. Surprisingly bohemian. The future lies in the Third World, a dystopia created by the First World. Profile photo was shot on a windy day in Juarez, Mexico, with FBI agents excavating clandestine graves of drug cartel victims.The most amazing things happen here. Also at Facebook.com/thedigiezone